Last update - 00:00 21/10/2007
It's time to shout it out
By Haaretz Editorial
In language unprecedented in its bluntness, U.S. President George W. Bush warned that nuclear weapons in Iran's hands might lead to "World War III." During a speech last Wednesday, Bush explained that the danger lies in the wish of Iran's leader to destroy Israel. Bush did not discuss the other threats posed by Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, such as achieving hegemony in the Gulf, slowing the flow of oil to the West, creating a proxy Shi'ite state in Iraq, or encouraging terrorism and revolution against moderate Arab governments.
Bush's statements, which placed the threat to Israel at the top of the priority list for blocking Iran's nuclear program, offer a good opportunity to reevaluate Israel's policy on the Iranian threat. The last two prime ministers, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, adopted a "low profile" approach. They reiterated, as did other Israeli leaders and ministers, that "Iran is an international problem, not an Israeli one."
At the basis of this policy lay the assumption that there was no advantage in portraying Israel as leading the struggle against Iran. Iranian nuclear arms would endanger not only Israel but the entire Middle East and the world, and a loud Israeli policy might turn into a bilateral confrontation between Iran and Israel and release world powers and the international community from their responsibility to deal with the threat.
As such, Israel tried to walk between the rain drops. It did not remain totally silent, worried that silence would be interpreted as coming to terms with the Iranian nuclear program. But it also did not ring any alarm bells, worried that "the world" would view the matter as solely an Israeli problem. This approach was reasonable as long as the international community seemed to rally behind the diplomatic efforts against Iran. The Europeans' agreement for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment efforts, and the Security Council's sanctions on Iran in response to the violation of that agreement, were steps in the right direction. The American efforts to boycott the Iranian banking system also have borne fruit.
However, in recent months the international scene has changed for the worse. The Iranians are not deterred by the sanctions and are continuing to enrich uranium. The International Atomic Energy Agency reached a shameful agreement with Iran that will allow it to carry on with its project. Russia and China are adamantly opposed to stepping up the sanctions, and the rising price of oil, to around $90 per barrel, is filling Iran's coffers and making the effectiveness of economic pressure doubtful. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still makes inciteful speeches calling for Israel's destruction, and he is enjoying growing legitimacy.
Under these circumstances there is no longer any reason for Israel to whisper in the hope that "the world" will deal with the problem. Israel must clarify its concerns in a loud voice, as well as its determination not to live under the shadow of an Iranian nuclear threat. The minute President Bush placed his concern for Israel at the top of his arguments for confronting Iran, Israel had to emerge from its hideout and make its position clear. The trips by Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to countries that are permanent members of the Security Council for talks on how to stop the Iranian threat are the first, appropriate steps in this direction.